Common name in French:
Laurier d'Alexandrie, Fragron à grappes
Common name in German:
Traubendorn, Alexandrinischer Lorbeer, Laubgehölze
Other common names:
Poet's Laurel
Family:
Asparagaceae
Origin:
Azerbaijan, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey
Description:
A very slow growing but as much interesting perennial-like shrub. Its slender branches arch up and away from the center of crown. The new stems arise from the base of the plant once a year (at Spring) so it is vital to water the plant at this time as the more water the larger the stem will grow. After May, there is no more growth on the plant for the year. The lustrous, evergreen modified stems (the "foliage") is beautiful, especially with the orange-red berries from September. The branches are ideal in flower arrangements as it lasts for several weeks in a vase. The plant keeps these showy fruits until about January! Makes excellent ground cover when it grows enough large and prefers partial shade or full shade. This plant is adapted to all sort of soils form sand to clay but prefers slightly moist, well drained soil when it will grow better and bigger. It is highly drought tolerant but will grow much slower in dry conditions, for example in a rock garden, in the shade. It won't however reach more than 1m in height and 1m in spread even on the best places in the garden, maybe in 10 years (in the first 3 years of its life, Danae produces only 1 new leaf-like modified stem/year). Danae is an unusual, evergreen with a bamboo-like appearance but ideal for small gardens (and for patient gardeners).
Plant growing type:
evergreen, slow growing
Habit:
weeping small shrub
Size when mature in m:
80-100cm
Main feature (value):
fruit colour
Spring value:
leaf
Summer value:
leaf
Autumn value:
leaf and fruit
Winter value:
leaf
Autumn coloration:
no coloration as this is an evergreen species (drops its old foliage continuously)
Flower colour:
yellow but tiny and not showy
Fruit colour:
SandyBrown
W i n t e r
S p r i n g
S u m m e r
A u t u m n
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Flowering period:
Fruiting period:
Drought tolerance:
high
Optimum ph:
slightly acidic-neutral (pH 6-7)
Preferred location:
semi-shade - full shade
Where to plant:
in borders or on the edge of lawn-shrubs where its arching habit can be appreciated
Pests and diseases:
this shrub is generally pest- and disease-free, but slugs and snails may damage it in the Summer
Herbal usage:
none known
Edibility:
not edible
Toxicity to humans:
not known
Optimum growing conditions:
partial shade or shade, well drained soil (drought tolerant), foliage may discolour in sun
Height in cm:
0-5cm (one leaf or cut back to buds)
Pot size:
8cm
Age in year:
2-3 (this shrub is grown from seed on our nursery)
Our online price:
£3.90
